The invention relates to a skateboard and a foot brake therefor.
Conventional skateboards consist of an elongated board and normally two pairs of rollers, of which one pair is secured to the under side of the board at the rear part thereof, and the other at front part thereof. A drawback of these known skateboards is that a beginner has considerable difficulties in learning to ride such a board. As a rule, this learning involves a few falls and the corresponding risk of injury.
In a skateboard according to French Patent FR-A-2 564 411, a three-part board is provided, which has at the front and back, respectively, an elevated board part and a central board part therebetween, on which the user may stand. These three board parts are connected to each other by way of tubular frame. This necessitates a complicated manufacture, and with it a limited support surface for the user is provided.
A known skateboard according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,884 is equipped with a hand-bar, which is fixed to the front of the board via a joint such that it can extend in an upright position, and can be folded down onto the board. With this skateboard, a person standing on the board can hold onto this hand-bar, but he/she cannot use this hand-bar as a control lever, because no flexible members are provided in the mounting of the pairs of rollers. Furthermore, since the pairs of rollers are located below the board, the board should not be articulated, or only to a very limited extent, at right angles to is longitudinal extent with respect to these pairs of rollers. Otherwise the board would touch the rollers, which could lead to falling of the person riding on this board.
In the skateboard according to German Patent DE-U-8 517,109, a short board is provided, which offers only a limited foot support surface for a user. The rear pair of rollers is located below this short board, due to which this board cannot be articulated, or only to a very limited extent, at right angles to its longitudinal extent with respect to this pair of rollers.
In a further known skateboard according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,134, secured to the front side of a skateboard with two pairs of rollers is an upwardly extending flat bar, which at the upper end is provided with horizontal handles on both sides. For securing this flat bar to the board, the bar is bent at the bottom and at this bent portion is secured to the board by means of a second flat bar arranged parallel thereto. This type of attachment is relatively complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture.
This skateboard is further provided with a wheel brake, which can be actuated by means of a hand brake located on the flat bar below the handles. This hand brake is connected by way of a cable or the like to a brake lever pivoting on the under side of the board, with the brake lever acting on the rear wheels at the time of braking. This brake likewise has a complicated construction.